Once again I find myself looking at a piece of property that has gone through another season with many improvements and more members than I’ve experienced in the last four years. It’s great to look back on the growth and development on not only the course but all of your shots, they look so much better than the spring.

This summer has been very busy with all the projects and newer maintenance practices that have finally started to improve the playability of the course. These changes have been improvised throughout the summer to offset the rising prices in the last few months. The cost of products and shipping has seen a dramatic increase due to petroleum demands over the summer. This has put some different restraints on normal maintenance but we adapted the best that we could.

The greens played much better this year and we also reached a threshold on the speed of several holes. Speed can often cause stress and wear on the turf so it becomes quite difficult to manage the proper speeds. Next season they will be similar in speed but will be healthier in the long run. The roll of the ball is more affected by the smoothness of the surface than the height of cut. If the height goes too low there will be injury and we risk the loss of the plant. Regardless I think the majority of the membership was happy with the condition of the greens.

Earlier I mentioned the projects that were completed, well we have two major projects left ahead of us and both of them are already in progress. The back-nine is going to be closed periodically to allow for this work to be done. The irrigation and fertilization of the back has been suspended to dry the area up to accommodate the excavation. This is a bummer for us as the turf would fill in just the like front has this fall. Soon as the drain lines are in we will pour the water and a heavy fertilization to push some last minute growth.  We have finally reached a point where we are able to push the grass and this is what the back needs to fill in all those voids in the rough and fairways.

The drainage project is scattered throughout the back-nine and will provide some major relief to the standing water. These drain lines have been installed as mains and will have the capability to be expanded in the future. We were fortunate enough to have Mountain West Electric to donate their time and equipment to complete all the trenching.  The crew was here for almost 3 days and they were amazed at the amount of water that is suspended in the ground. This project will be a slow process due to the amount of moisture present as we speak. The trenches continually slough off and require cleaning before we can get the gravel and pipe in place. If these lines were cut in more sandy soils the clean up wouldn’t be so drawn out. However this project had to be done and the delays at this moment will be rewarded next year.

The other project taking place is the cart path between #15 and #16. This work has also begun and will be moving along as soon as this drainage is in place. The moisture is affecting the ability to remove material for the cart path but has started to dry out even with the drain lines half completed.

Our season will end soon and the course will be shut down once the snow starts to fly but this is also the time when the ground is getting ready for the flush in the spring. What we do to the course now dictates what will happen next spring. The course employees are happy to see the weather change. This means we can slow down our schedules, see our families and most importantly welcome hunting seasons. We will have a few more days of nice weather and we hope you will take advantage of the opportunities. 

Lastly I have to express my sympathy for the family of Jim Jeffres, we lost him recently after a long battle with cancer. He was very supportive of the golf club and a great person to chat with and keep me in line on the course.  Thanks for everything Jim!!!

Thanks,

Jason Aanestad

Golf Course Superintendent

332-9407

Thanks  

#4 BEFORE SOD IS INSTALLED

#4 AFTER SOD IS INSTALLED

#6 BEFORE SOD IS INSTALLED

#6 AFTER SOD IS INSTALLED

This update is now officially being composed in what we call the summer months. What happened to spring? We went from 50’s to 90’s but I guess we shouldn’t complain since we were so fortunate to have the moisture in the mountains. Our course experienced the growth flush in about two weeks in June and now the turf is in shock due to these high temperatures and the only way to combat this is to pour on the water. The greens are almost filled in from the winter damage but they didn’t quite respond how I was predicting. This again was the result of the sudden transition from winter to summer. The entire Rocky Mountain region has also been halted by these same factors. There are a few courses that have sporadically wintered well and also have had a nice response to our short spring. It has left most of us frustrated in the turf industry and bugging the universities for answers to all of our problems. The answer that gets passed along is always the same, “patience folk’s summer will come”.

 Well here we are and let’s look at what we have accomplished with these conditions. The number #6 tee box was quite a task for us and the final product is by far one of the better playing surfaces in the county. Expect this to be open by the second week in August.  We also were able to rebuild the forward tees on #4 and also the new teaching facility behind #2 green. The nursery green was intended to be seeded this spring but with the unusual weather we had the overnight lows would’ve killed the sensitive bentgrass. Our plan is to have this teaching complex sodded/seeded by this fall. The concrete work on #1 is completed and we are gearing up for the next cart path on #15/#16. This fall we plan on doing some major drainage work on #3, 10, 11, 12, 15, and #17. The trenching will commence as soon as some of the ground starts to become more stable.

The greens have reached a speed this year where we are on the verge of being too fast. #18 will become completely unplayable if it becomes any faster. This speed is the result of our new rolling techniques combined with the new fertilization program. Now we cart start having some real fun with those pin placements.

Our crew is working long days and I keep paying overtime but I think the results are worth it. Plus we have to make up all those hours from our long winter and non-existent spring. Please check the website as I will update it this week with new photos and some new data that has been released over the summer. I wish all of you pars and birdies and if not smiles and laughter. However I know that there always is frustration that is associated to our unique profession.

Thanks,

Jason Aanestad

Golf Course Superintendent

332-9407

I’m finding myself some free time writing this month’s newsletter as the course is getting covered in this all so familiar white stuff for the second day in a row. As many of you are a aware this moisture brings relief to the maintenance department as we need every bit of moisture that we can get. Our water source will be turned on May 8th so we are blessed to have this crucial factor to help aid us in establishing more turf this spring.

 The crew size is limited now but we are going to doubled by end of next week and as soon as school gets out we will be in full force. I have my new assistant coming on board May 10th. Jon Graham will be a great asset to our department. Once I get him shaped up I know he’ll be a wonderful assistant. I also brought on another internship this summer, his name is Brady Loose and he will be graduating with his turf degree as well. Of course the current crew is as solid as ever considering they are my father and brother but this family affair needs some relief. We’ve been busy working on getting the course open and we hope to have all the course accessories on by the end of next week. Our hands have been full with getting the first couple mowings completed and trying to keep up with the irrigating to compensate for these nasty winds lately.

The course has shown some signs of promise with the green grass that is poking through and surely in the next couple of weeks we’ll be needing a swather to keep up. I can’t say enough to thank all of you who have been patient with our watering schedule as some days I often wonder how many golfers are getting soaked or are disrupted when those heads pop up. As soon as we start getting our main water supply built up we will switch our watering window to the night routine… weather permitting.

The greens are starting to roll better after every mowing and soon we will begin our new rolling technique that will not only start speeding them up but will also improve the health of them as well. Our new aerifier will show up in the next week and we will start our venting process which will allow air and water exchange to help with the durability and sustainability. These practices once implemented should show immediate response and hopefully secure the desired putting speeds as well as being able to check up those balls. 

The cart path work has started and we hope to finish this project next week. The crew of the honor farm has done some great work and we are fortunate to have these pathways erected for no charge. Next time you see one of the guys in the green shirts tell them they are doing a great job. They don’t bite and they love the positive reinforcement.

Our tee boxes on #6 and #4 have been delayed due to the weather patterns but this work will resume once the ground is more stable.

 I encourage you all to check out the website as we will be posting information related to golf course maintenance as well as photos of our property. In time I hope to have all of the past photos and current photos archived as soon as I figure all of this technology out. The other additions to this site in the future will include a section for FAQ’s, Turf Terms, Employee Profiles, and some nerdy turf humor.

 In closing I am excited to see all of the regulars as well as the newcomers to this frustrating game and let’s start mowing some grass!!!!

Jason Aanestad

Golf Course Superintendent

Reasons for #6 Tee Box Renovation

1. Level playing stance will improve playabilty
2. More tee surface will provide more yardage and a variety of shot selections
3. NO-MORE BROKEN TEES AND SCUFFED IRONS

Many of you commented and noticed the scars on the greens a couple of weeks ago. These marks are the result of Fusarium Patch (snow mold) which can be attributed to wet and cool conditions. Furthermore soils that are high in ph and under snow cover for long periods of time this disease can spread quite rapidly. The effects of this common problem are a “frog-eye” circular pattern with mainly visual blemishes and is more a cosmetic injury than a complete loss. This damage has almost healed and in the next few weeks the patches will be gone. We were fortunate to have caught this disease in the beginning stages before further damage was done.

The timing of this last snow storm couldn’t have been better as we struggle this time of year trying to keep enough water in the pond to offset the typical Wyoming wind. We also fertilized the greens two days before this system and this has given the greens a nice kickstart for the spring.